Notes

There are three ways by which the Department of Mathematics places students into the appropriate calculus or precalculus courses at UCI:

  • The AP Calculus AB or AP Calculus BC test

  • The Math SAT or the Math ACT (while these exams are no longer used at UCI in the application process the Department of Mathematics still uses them to guide student enrollment)

  • The ALEKS Placement test. This exam is provided by ALEKS Corporation. Your purchase includes access to ALEKS online educational modules for Preparation for Calculus for six months and two attempts on the placement exam.

Enrollment Guide

  1. If you took the AP Calculus AB or AP Calculus BC test and:

  • you scored a 4 or a 5 on the AP Calculus BC test, then you should enroll in Math 2D (Multivariable Calculus I).

  • you scored a 4 or a 5 on the AP Calculus AB test OR a 3 on the AP Calculus BC test, then you should enroll in Math 2B (Single Variable Calculus II).

  • you scored a 3 on the AP Calculus AB test, then you should enroll in Math 2A (Single Variable Calculus I). (If you have trouble enrolling into Math 2A, email mathinfo@math.uci.edu and include a copy of your test score.)

 

  1. If you took the SAT or the ACT and:

  • you scored a 650 or better on the Math SAT OR a 29 or better on the Math ACT, then you should enroll in Math 2A (Single Variable Calculus I) or Math 5A (Calculus for Life Sciences). (If you have trouble enrolling into Math 2A, email mathinfo@math.uci.edu and include a copy of your test score.)

     

  1. If neither 1) nor 2) apply to you and you took the ALEKS placement test and:

  • you scored 80 or better, then you should enroll in Math 2A (Single Variable Calculus I) or Math 5A (Calculus for Life Sciences). (If you have trouble enrolling into Math 2A or Math 5A, email mathinfo@math.uci.edu and include a copy of your test score.).

  • your score was less than 80 but 61 or greater, then you should enroll in Math 1B (Pre-Calculus II).

  • your score was less than 61 but was 46 or greater, then you should enroll in Math 1A (Pre-Calculus I).

     

  1. If none of 1), 2), and 3) apply to you, then

  • It is highly recommended that you take the ALEKS placement test and then refer back to the guidelines in 3). Instructions on taking the ALEKS placement test and accompanying precalculus education material can be found here.

  • If you choose not to take the ALEKS placement test, then you must enroll in Math 1A or Math 1B (Pre-Calculus I or II, respectively). Here is a 20 question self-assessment to guide your enrollment into one of these two courses. The answers are here.  (Note: Math 1A is the first course in a two-quarter precalculus sequence and Math 1B is the second course. The official description can be found here. Briefly, Math 1A is college algebra and Math 1B is college algebra together with exponentials, logarithms, and trigonometry.)

  • If you scored 10 or better on this assessment, then you should enroll in Math 1B;

  • For all other scores, you should enroll in Math 1A.